Syracuse Basketball vs Stanford Recap: The Dark Side

*A win is a win is a win, but this game was a bit brutal to sit through short of the last eight minutes.

Both teams shot under 40% in the first half.

There were a combined 45 turnovers.

The first half provided us with 22 combined field goals and 27 combined turnovers (and only 11 assists).

Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard 2011

Both teams shot 53% from the free throw line.

Syracuse and Stanford combined to go 12-32 from the three-point line.

In the spirit of the holiday season just underway (or ongoing since Halloween according to some), I had this in my head the whole first half of the game...

"Woof" indeed.

*Baye Keita has one stat in his box score through six minutes and it tells the tale of his game vs Stanford well.

4 fouls.

Fab Melo stepped up to play 32 minutes of terrific basketball in this one, but Baye obviously needs to hold these types of games to a minimum. Syracuse needs his grit, presence around the basket, and balance down low. Rakeem Christmas can't quite handle the five spot yet, even for short stretches of time, against better teams.

*Speaking of Fab, I really liked how he played the past two games at MSG overall, but he has to improve on things like goaltending and when not to approach the ball on the rim. He got away with a tip in where he shouldn't have touched the ball as it was on the rim. Those things will come as we go for Fab and Boeheim will pull him from a game before it becomes a big issue, but it will round out his game that much more when little things like that come around.

*I expected James Southerland's minutes and point totals to trail off a bit in these two games, but it is disappointing to not see him record a single point and just two rebounds in two games at MSG after the tear he was on.

*Scoop Jardine has got to shoot free throws better. Even a small number like 2-5 is unacceptable for him. It has plagued him early on this season and it can't continue with all the opportunities he will get at the line this season.

*Syracuse shot 53% from the free throw line (8-15).

*Syracuse was 11-32 (34%) in the first half.

*Syracuse has 21 turnovers. Yikes.

*Bench points have been an area Syracuse has dominated so far this year, but not in this game. Stanford's John Gage came out of nowhere for a 10-point night that helped Stanford's bench outscore Syracuse 28-20.

*Rakeem Christmas got two starts in New York and has 7 minutes and 1 rebound to show for it.